24 of Louis Tomlinson's Best Tattoos

June 2024 · 9 minute read

Louis Tomlinson, 24 years old in two days! Can you believe that? Time goes by so fast, it’s crazy to realize our little boy is not so little anymore. To celebrate Tomlinson’s birthday, we have put together a list Louis’ 24 best tattoos- not saying that the many others he has aren’t amazing, they all are!

24. Flock of Birds

Although some may think these are just your regular doodle ink of Louis’, they actually represent the four (five) guys in One Direction – Louis himself, Liam, Niall, Harry and Zayn. “Always stick together. Work as a team. Family and friends are on my side,” Louis offered as an explanation for his flock of birds tattoo on his arm. It truly shows that family and friends are his number 1 priority and nothing could change that.

23. Swift Bird

Although Louis is reportedly petrified of birds, he says he got the swift bird tattoo because it’s his favorite kind of bird. This tattoo is one of the most memorable and standout tattoo in the collection Tomlinson has. Even though it’s not a pigeon like some of us may have hoped for, a swift bird will definitely satisfy us!

22. Camera

According to Louis, the ink represents all the photo shoots he has. Even though it doesn’t exactly symbolize his experience in the music industry, Louis Tomlinson’s camera tattoo does stand for something that is important to him through the journey of being in One Direction. Cameras are constantly surrounding him, making it hard to ever go anywhere, but that’s part of the commitment he puts for his passion – which is super important to him.

21. Bus 1

There is no denying that Tomlinson has a matching tattoo with former member, Zayn Malik. This tattoo was meant as a tribute to the band’s tour bus. This may be of the last moments we have from Zayn and Louis for a while because of their little interaction on twitter….hopefully things are going smoothly. We still love the tattoo no matter what. It shows the friendship and bond they had for each other.

20. Horseshoe

“I own a football team in Doncaster and that is our mascot,” Louis said about his horseshoe tattoo. Many would have thought that it had something to do with luck, but not to Louis. Tomlinson owns a football team in Doncaster, The Three Horseshoes, that he used to play on before he auditioned for the X Factor, After hearing they could no longer afford uniforms, Louis stepped in to help out. How sweet is that?

19. Arrow

An arrow is an important historical and cultural symbol, which makes it a great tattoo design. Many people get arrow tattoos because it stands for friendship, freedom, protection, direction, power or peace. This could be quite similar to Liam’s arrow tattoos that also represent friendship!

18. Globe

One of the many doodles Louis has in his collection that some may not know about. “It’s for the award we – 1D – got at the BRIT Awards this year for Global Success,” Louis said about his arm tattoo. Knowing the journey the boys have been through is quite fascinating to look from the outside, imagine living through it all.

17. Pac-Man

Can you guess who likes Pac-Mac? Louis Tomlinson loves it so much he decided to get a tattoo in honor of the incredibly popular arcade game from the 80s! What a cutie.

16. “Given a Chance”

Like we have mentioned throughout this article, tattoos are seen differently through many perspectives so it is difficult to ever state an accurate message unless it is coming from the artist. Since Louis doesn’t talk much about his tattoos, we believed that Given a Chance is another tattoo Louis has to keep him grounded. Not many are fortunate to be put with people they love or get to do things they are genuinely passionate and love doing. He got the chance and opportunity to so many things that others can’t, this tattoo could be for whenever he’s having a rough day, knowing how lucky he is to be given a chance.

15. “78”

Louis never really discuss his tattoos in public so we went out to find the significance of them from his mother, Johannah, instead. She said that “For those who have asked me about the ’78’ tattoo on Louis’ chest…It was the house number of his Nan & Grandad who he adored xxxx.” Knowing how great of a relationship Louis has with his family members make our heart melt in thousands of ways. It’s one of the many reasons why we love him!

14. Spiderweb

There’s really no explanation for this ink as it probably holds something deep to him. Or maybe just the fact that Tomlinson is deeply in love with spiders growing up and got it tattooed as part of his childhood. Though we love it very much, we can only guess.

13. Tic Tac Toe

 Every tattoo is special, but there’s just something about this one. It screams youth as a classic game is displayed on Louis’ arm. Tic-Tac-Toe is one of those game you can never get tired of and the colour contrast between black and red compared to the many inks surrounding it makes this tattoo stand out very much. We just love it, what more can we say?

12. Stag & Heart

Hands down one of the most favourited tats Louis has ever gotten. This may be because it’s so intriguing and detailed, we cannot get our eyes off of it. If you look closely to the heart, it may look like there was another ink under it. In that case, you’re right! Tomlinson previously had a heart and headphones together representing listening to your heart.

11. Compass

Another memorable tattoo that all the amazing fans know and love.  “It has an arrow pointing to home. I miss it,” Louis said about his compass tattoo, which is inked on the inside of his right forearm. The ink is another one of those inks that remind Tomlinson about home, it has a beautiful meaning and is just another reason to love it.

10. Infinity Rope 

It’s interesting to watch people attempt to interpret the meaning behind one’s tattoo as the owner remains quiet. Fans have been attempting to find the meaning behind Louis Tomlinson’s tattoo for some time and concluded that the broken rope image symbolizes broken ties of some sort. An interesting and believable concept, guess it’ll remain a mystery until Louis himself speaks up about it.

9. Quotation Marks

“I give a lot of advice and make quotes. I talk a lot as well.” Tomlinson answered when asked about his quotation tattoo. The one pattern that is noticed about his tattoos is that they are so simple, it makes them unique. Like mentioned, the simplicity is so beautiful it doesn’t need any words.

8. The Stickman

One of Louis Tomlinson’s first-ever tattoos was the stick figure he had inked on the inside of his right forearm during a trip back in 2012. According to Louis, he got the unique tattoo because “I love skateboarding. It’s my hidden talent.” Well, that explains it then! Even though he said he doesn’t really like this tattoo anymore we absolutely still do!

7. Far Away

Far Away is told to be a tattoo that is a tribute to his hometown and his friends and family that he left behind when he joined One Direction. Similar to The Rogue, Far Away is one of those reminders to remember where you are. Even when the tattoo is so simple, it makes us sit down and think of the true meaning behind it.

6. Paper Airplane

Simple but effective, this tattoo’s simplicity is one of the many reasons to love it. It is surrounded by other little doodle tattoos he has and it just shows that Tomlinson never really grew up. Even though, he’s getting older, nothing is stopping him to be as youthful as he wants to be. Though, that does not mean he doesn’t know when to be responsible.

5. Cup of Tea

So, this tattoo can either be about Little Things or his love for tea (or maybe just because he wants a cup of tea tattooed on his arm). Who knows! “I’m obsessed with Yorkshire tea. Satisfies me,” Tomlinson stated himself. This could definitely be the reasoning behind the tattoo. On the other hand,  “You can’t go to bed without a cuppa tea / And maybe that’s the reason that you talk in your sleep.” Only Louis Tomlinson will have the correct answer to this (if only we knew).

4. Oops

The most iconic tattoo Louis has of all time. Many love it so much because they believe that it has connections with Harry Styles and how they first met. It’s just one of those tatts that’s very simple, but probably has a very beautiful meaning to it. Even though, Tomlinson himself said the oops was there because of his many ‘stupid’ tattoos, we believe there’s more to it.

3. The Rogue

The Rogue was the very first band Louis was ever in and many found that the significance in this tattoo is his representation of the beginning. It’s to remember where he came from, and Louis Tomlinson proved that he’ll never forget his roots when he got two prominent tattoos on his ankles reading “The Rogue.”

2. Smiley Face

Tattoos can be interpreted in many ways depending on the eyes that see it. To us, this tattoo is one of our favourites because it’s a constant reminder to be happy. We should surround ourselves with happiness and smiles and seeing this every time just brightens up our day. Tattoos can have the most beautiful meaning and we think that this could be one of them.

1. It Is What It Is

Another one of the stand out tattoos Tomlinson has inked on his body. No doubt this is what catches your eyes every time you look at him. We love it so much we don’t know what else to say. This definitely deserves its spot at #1 since we are so speechless every time we see it!

It was hard making this list since we believe that all of Louis’ tattoos are the best, but here’s our highlight on some of the best. If you want a handy list of all of Louis tattoos to date, you might want to check out this. Hope you enjoy and happy birthday Louis!

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